Penang wants urgent amendments to Housing Developers Act 1966

GEORGE TOWN: Penang wants the Federal Government to see the urgency in amending the Housing Developers Act 1966 now to prevent any owners of low and medium cost housing units from leasing their properties to third parties, including foreign workers.
If possible, the state Housing, Town Planning and Local Government committee chairperson Jagdeep Singh Deo wants the amendments to be tabled in the first Parliament sitting scheduled for next month.
With Pakatan Harapan now also holding federal power, Jagdeep hopes the proposed amendments are taken up by the new Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraidah Kamaruddin.
"We hope she pays special attention to Penang's appeal, which is also a nationwide issue. I understand she is looking into the matter with the legal experts," he told a press conference today.
Jagdeep said the leasing of thousands of affordable housing units to foreigners nationwide has become a social issue as these later tend to cause a public nuisance in the area.
"Owners of affordable housing units are essentially prohibited from leasing out the units as they should be the rightful occupants. But many of them abuse this (legislative) loophole and they are now getting away with it."
To properly house foreign workers, Jagdeep has informed Zuraidah to emulate a Penang guideline; which was to build several hostel projects for workers, especially for those employed in large-scale production-driven factories.
The workers' hostels are to be built and managed by operators, and it must be located in either commercial or industrial zones; not within the housing estates where local residents stay, Jagdeep added.
In Penang, four such projects are now underway in Juru, Permatang Tinggi, Bukit Minyak and Mukim 12 on the mainland, and Batu Maung on the island.
It will create some 2,200 units of hostels to accommodate around 24,000 foreign workers.
He said that the owners of affordable units should know that when they sign their sales and purchase agreements under the B1 Form that the units that they own are meant for themselves to reside in.